Many software packages are available for automating accounting procedures using a personal computer. Quicken.RTM. from Intuit is one example of an accounting software package. Quicken.RTM. assists or automates accounting procedures such as writing checks, updating a check register, reconciling an account, setting up a budget for income and expenses, tracking transactions, business or personal bookkeeping, and tax-related information gathering.
A disadvantage of using present accounting software is that many transactions have to be manually entered from a receipt obtained from a point of sale. For example, using a keyboard, an end user may have to manually enter a category of the transaction, items in the transaction, credits or debits in the transaction, a method of payment, a transaction date, and/or a name of a transaction party from the receipt.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. prints receipts having bar codes associated with transactions at its department stores. Each bar code is predictably formed to consist of a first code identifying a store at which the transaction occurred, a second code identifying a point of sale terminal in the store, and a third code indicating a transaction number. The transaction number is incremented for each subsequent transaction at the point of sale terminal. The bar code can be read by a point of sale terminal to retrieve transaction information associated with the receipt. However, the transaction information is not widely accessible by customers over an electronic network, such as the Internet, for import to an accounting software package.